T  II  E 


SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 


TO 


IIFAIT  BAPTISM 


REV.   ISAAC'^SKOOK. 


LOUISVILLE,    KY. 

PUBLISHED    BY  THE    CUMBEELAND  PRESBYTERIAN 
BOARD    OF    PUBLICATION. 

1851. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  18 j1, 

By  MILTON"  BIRD, /or  flic  Proprietor, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States 
for  the  District  of  Kentucky. 


Stereotyped  by 
MORTON    &    GRISWOLD 

Louisville,  Ky. 


THE 

SCRIPTURE     G^UIDE 

TO 

INFANT    BAPTISM. 


Question  1.     What  is  a  Church'? 

Answer.  All  true  believers,  wiih  their  off- 
spring. 

Q.  2.  As  children  are  not  capable  of  exer- 
'cising  faith  in  Christ,  are  they  members  of  the 
Church  ? 

A.  They  are  :  for  the  covenant  was  made 
with  Abraham  and  his  seed. 

Q.  3.  If  children  cannot  exercise  faith,  what 
are  the  benefits  of  being  in  the  Church  1 

A.  They  are  members,  in  a  state  of  minority. 
The  Church  is  a  place  where  they  are  trained 
up  for  God.  They  are  in  covenant  relationship 
with  God. 

Q.  4.     What  is  a  Covenant  ? 

A.  An  agreement  between  two  or  more 
parties. 

Q.  5.  Did  God  promise  to  make  a  covenant 
with  Abraham  ? 

A.  He  did.  Gen.  xvii.  2.  ''  And  I  will 
make  my  covenant  between  me  and  thee." 


4  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

Q.  6.  What  did  God  promise  to  do  in  this 
covenant  ? 

A.  God  promised,  (1.)  That  of  Abraham's 
seed  the  Messiah  should  come.  Gen.  xii.  2,  3. 
"  And  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation,  and 
I  will  bless  thee,  and  make  thy  name  gi'eat ;  and 
thou  shalt  be  a  blessing  :  —  And  in  thee  shall  all 
families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

(2.)  God  promised  to  his  posterity  the  land  of 
Canaan  for  a  possession.  Gen.  xv.  18.  "In 
that  same  day  the  Lord  made  a  covenant  with 
Abraham,  saying.  Unto  thy  seed  have  I  given 
this  land,  fi-om  the  river  of  Egypt  unto  the  great 
river,  the  river  Euphrates." 

(3.)  God  promised  to  be  a  God  unto  Abraham 
and  his  seed  forever.  Gen.  xvii.  7.  "And  I 
w^ill  establish  my  covenant  between  me  and  thee, 
and  thy  seed  after  thee,  in  their  generations,  for 
an  everlasting  covenant;  to  be  a  God  unto  thee, 
and  to  thy  seed  after  thee." 

Q.  7.  Did  circumcision  constitute  any  part 
of  this  covenant  ? 

A.  No  ;  It  was  only  the  sign  or  token  of  the 
covenant.  Gen. xvii.  11.  "And  ye  shall  circum- 
cise the  flesh  of  your  foreskin ;  and  it  shall  be  a 
token  of  the  covenant  betwixt  me  and  you. 

Q.  8.  Was  circumcision  a  seal  of  the  right- 
eousness of  faith  1 

A.  It  was.  Rom.  iv.  11.  "  And  he  received 
the  sign  of  circumcision,  a  seal  of  the  righteousness 
of  the  faith  which  he  had  vet  being  uncircumcised. 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  O 

Q.  9.  Did  circumcision  then  ratify,  or  seal  a 
covenant,  in  which  all  the  families  of  the  earth 
were  to  be  blessed? 

A.  It  did.  God  said  to  Abram,  Gen.  xii.  3, 
"  And  I  will  bless  them  that  bless  the&,  and  curse 
him  that  curseth  thee ;  and  in  thee  shall  all  fami- 
lies of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

And  again,  in  Gen.xvii.  13.  "  He  that  is  born 
in  thy  house,  and  he  that  is  bought  with  thy 
money,  miist  needs  be  circumcised;  and  my 
covenant  shall  be  in  your  flesh  for  an  everlasting 
covenant." 

Q,.  10.  Did  the  giving  of  the  law  at  Mount 
Sinai,  change  the  spirituality  of  the  Abraharaic 
covenant "? 

A.  No.  Paul  says,  in  Gal.  iii.  17,  "  That 
the  covenant  that  was  confirmed  before  of  God 
in  Christ,  the  law,  which  was  four  hundred  and 
thirty  years  after,  cannot  disannul,  that  it  should 
make  the  promise  of  none  effect." 

Q.  11.  Did  the  prophets  recognize  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  after  the 
coming  of  Christ  1 

A.  They  did.  1  Chron.  xvi.  15—17.  "  Be  ye 
mindful  always  of  his  covenant ;  the  word  which 
he  commanded  to  a  thousand  generations ;  even 
of  the  covenant  which  he  made  with  Abraham, 
and  of  his  oath  unto  Isaac  ;  and  hath  confirmed 
the  same  to  Jacob,  for  a  law,  and  to  Israel  for  an 
everlasting  covenant."  Here  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  is  recoofnized  to   continue  for  ever. 


6  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

Q,.  12.  Was  this  covenant  confirmed  of  God 
in  Christ  ] 

A.  It  was.  Gal.  iii.  16,  17.  "Now  to  Abra- 
ham and  his  seed  were  the  promises  made.  He 
saith  not,  And  to  seeds,  as  of  many;  but  as  of  one, 
and  to  thy  seed,  which  is  Christ.  And  this  I  say, 
that  the  covenant  that  was  confirmed  befjre  of 
God  in  Christ,  the  law,  which  was  four  hundred 
and  thirty  years  after,  cannot  disannul,  that  it 
shouJd  make  the  promise  of  none  effect." 

Q,.  13.  Are  there  any  other  proofs  of  the 
confirmation  and  continuation  of  the  spirituality 
of  the  Abrahamic  covenant  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment ? 

A.  There  are:  in  Luke  L  68 — 73.  "Blessed 
be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel;  for  he  hath  visited 
and  redeemed  his  people,  and  hath  raised  up  an 
horn  of  salvation  for  us  in  the  house  of  his  ser- 
vant David :  as  he  spake  by  the  mouth  of  his 
holy  prophets,  which  have  been  since  the  world 
began  :  that  we  should  be  saved  from  our 
enemies,  and  from  the  hand  of  all  that  hate  us ; 
to  perfjrm  the  m.ercies  promised  to  our  fathers, 
and  to  remember  his  holy  covenant ;  the  oath 
which  he  sware  to  our  father  Abraham."  (See 
Gen.  xxii.  16 — 18.     Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6.) 

Act  iii.  25.  "  Ye  are  the  children  of  the 
prophets,  and  of  the  covenant  which  God  made 
with  our  fathers,  saying,  unto  Abraham,  And 
in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth 
be  blessed." 


TO   INFANT    BAPTISM.  7 

Gal.  ili.  26 — 29.  •'  *'  For  ye  are  all  the  children 
of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many 
of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ,  have 
put  on  Christ.  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek, 
there  is  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither 
male  nor  female  :  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ 
Jesus.  And  if  ye  be  Christ's, ':^the»,  s-r®  ye 
Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  accordii^  to  the 
promise." 

Q.  14.  Who  were  included  in  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  1 

A.  Abraham  and  all  his  seed,  and  all  true 
believers  and  their  children  for  ever.  Gen.  xvii. 
7.  "  And  I  will  establish  my  covenant  between 
rrie  and  thee,  and  thy  seed  after  thee,  in  all  their 
generations,  for  an  everlasting  covenant ;  to  be  a 
God  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee." 
Gen.  xii.  3.  "And  I  will  bless  them  that  bless 
thee,  and  curse  him  that  curseth  thee  :  and  in 
thee  shall  all  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 
Gal.  iii.  29.  "And  if  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye 
Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according  to  promise." 

Q.  15.  Are  believers  in  Christ,  under  the 
New  Testament  dispensation,  recognized  as  the 
seed  or  children  of  Abraham  ? 

A.  They  are  :  Paul  says,  in  Galatians  iii.  7, 
•'  Know  ye,  therefore,  that  they  which  are  of 
faith,  the  same  are  the  children  of  Abraham." 
And  in  Gal.  iii.  29  :  "  And  if  ye  be  Christ's, 
then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according 
to  the  promise." 


8  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

^  Q.  16.  Did  the  giving  of  the  law,  at  Mount 
Sinai,  which  is  also  called  a  covenant,  disannul 
the  covenant  of  promise  made  to  Abraham  four 
hundred  and  thirty  years  before  ? 

A.  It  did  not.  Gal.  iii.  17.  "  And  this  I  say, 
that  the  covenant  that  was  confirmed  before  of 
Grod  in  Christ,  the  law,  which  was  four  hundred 
and  thirty  years  after,  cannot  disannul,  that  it 
should  make  the  promise  of  none  effect." 

Q.  17.  How  did  the  covenant,  made  with 
Abraham,  differ  from  the  covenant  made  with  the 
house  of  Israel  ? 

A.  That  made  with  Abraham  was  personal, 
embracing  himself  and  posterity.  See  Gen.  xii. 
1 — 3.  That  made  with  the  house  of  Israel  was 
iiational.  The  condition  of  the  first  was  faith, 
(Gen  XV.  6.)  and  salvation  was  the  promise.  "In 
thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 
Gen.  xii.  3.  To  this  was  also  added  the  promise 
of  Canaan.  The  condition  of  the  second 
was  the  observance  of  external  rights,  and  the 
land  of  Canaan  was  the  promise.  Circumcision 
was  required  in  both  covenants. 

Q,.  18.  Did  God,  by  making  a  covenant  with 
the  head  of  a  household,  divide  families — cove- 
nanting with  the  parents,  and  leaving  out  the 
children  1 

A.  He  did  not.  "  The  Lord  said  unto  Noah, 
come  thou  and  ail  thy  house  into  the  Ark." 
Gen.  vii.  1.  And  to  Abraham,  he  said,  *'  I  will 
etitablish    my  covenant    between   me    and  thee, 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  9 

and  thy  seed  after  thee  in  their  generations." 
Gen.  xvii.  7.  Natural  as  well  as  spiritual  seed. 
And  Peter  says,  "  The  promise  is  unto  you, 
and  to  your  children."  Acts  ii.  39.  This  shows 
that  the  Gospel  confirms  the  same  covenant  that 
circumcision  did ;  embracing  the  natural  children, 
as  well  as  believing  children. 

Q,.  19.  Did  God  say,  by  the  mouth  of  the 
prophets,  that  he  would  make  a  new  covenant,  &c.? 

A.  He  did.  Jer.  xxxi.  31,  32.  "  Behold  the 
days  come,  saitJi  the  Lord,  that  I  will  make  a  new 
covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel,  and  with  the 
house  of  Judah  ;  not  according  to  the  covenant 
that  I  made  with  their  fathers,  in  the  day  that  I 
took  them  by  the  hand  to  bring  them  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt."  It  was  not  a  changing  of  the 
nature  or  spirituality  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant. 

Q,.  20.  Was  the  covenant  made  with  Abra- 
ham, an  everlasting  covenant  ? 

A.  It  was  :  Gen.  xvii.  7.  "  I  will  establish 
my  covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and  thy  seed 
after  thee,  in  their  generations,  for  an  everlasting 
covenant,  to  be  a  God  unto  thee,  and  thy  seed 
after  thee." 

Q,.  21.  Does  not  the  prophet  tell  us,  what 
the  spirit,  or  meaning  of  this  renewal,  or  new 
covenant  shall  be  ? 

A.  He  does  :  Jer.  xxxi.  33.  "  But  this  shall 
be  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the  house 
of  Israel ;  after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will 
put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in 


10  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

their  hearts ;  and  will  be  their  God,  and  they 
shall  be  my  people."  Here  it  is  evident,  that  the 
prophet  had  reference  to  the  renewing  of  the 
spirituality  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  in  the 
latter  days,  or  Christian  dispensation.  It  should 
also  be  remarked,  that  the  Jews,  at  that  time,  had 
lost,  in  a  great  measure,  the  spirituality  of  the 
Abrahamic  covenant,  and  were  looking  almost 
entirely  at  the  temporal  part. 

Q.  22.  What  covenant  was  the  Apostle  Paul 
speaking  of,  in  Hebrews  viii.  7,  when  he  says, 
"  For  if  that  first  covenant  had  been  faultless, 
then  should  no  place  have  been  found  for  the 
second." 

A.  He  was  speaking  of  the  law  given  at 
Mount  Sinai,  as  will  appear  from  the  ninth  verse 
of  the  same  chapter.  "  Not  according  to  the 
covenant  that  I  made  with  their  fathers,  in  the 
day  when  I  took  them  by  the  hand  to  lead  them 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  because  they  continued 
not  in  my  covenant,  and  I  regarded  them  not, 
saith  the  Lord." 

Here  we  see,  that  it  was  the  covenant  that  was 
made  after  they  left  Egypt,  therefore,  it  could 
not  have  been  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  for  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  was  made  430  years  before 
they  left  the  land  of  Egypt. 

Again,  in  Heb.  vii.  11 :  "If  therefore  perfec- 
tion were  by  the  Levitical  priesthood,  (for  under 
it  the  people  received  the  law,)  what  further  need 
was  tliere  that   another  priest  should  rise  after 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  11 

the  order  of  Melchisedek,  and  not  be  called  after 
the  order  of  Aaron  1 

Q.  23.  Did  not  the  prophets,  and  even  Christ 
and  his  Apostles,  acknowledge  the  spirituality  of 
the  Abrahamic  covenant,  and  consider  it  an  ever- 
lasting covenant] 

A.  They  did :  Look  at  what  God  said  to 
Abraham,  Gen.  xvii.  1  and  7 ;  "  And  when 
Abram  was  ninety  years  old  and  nine,  the  Lord 
appeared  to  Abram,  and  said  unto  him,  I  am  the 
Almighty  God  ;  walk  before  me,  and  be  thou 
perfect."  —  "  And  I  will  establish  my  covenant 
between  me  and  thee,  and  thy  seed  after  thee,  in 
their  generations,  for  an  everlasting  covenant ; 
to  be  a  God  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee, 
iij  their  generations." 

And  in  Jer.  xxxi.  33,  God  says  :  "  But  this 
shall  be  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the 
house  of  Israel,  after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord, 
I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and 
write  it  in  their  hearts,  and  will  be  their  God,  and 
they  shall  be  my  people."  The  same  is  repeated 
by  Paul,  in  Heb.  viii.  10.  "  For  this  is  the  cove- 
nant that  1  will  make  with  the  house  of  Israel, 
after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord;  I  will  put  my 
laws  into  their  mind,  and  write  them  in  their 
hearts ;  and  I  will  be  to  them  a  God,  and  they 
shall  be  to  me  a  people." 

In  Acts  iii.  25,  it  is  said,  "  Ye  are  the  chil- 
dren of  the  prophets,  and  of  the  covenant  which 
God  made  with  our  fathers,  saying,  unto   Abra 


12  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

ham,  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of 
the  earth  be  blessed." 

Compare  the  following  Scriptures  :  2  Cor,  vi. 
16.  "  What  agreement  hath  the  temple  of  God 
with  idols  1  for  ye  are  the  temple  of  the  living 
God ;  as  God  hath  said,  I  will  dwell  with  them, 
and  walk  in  them;  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and 
they  shall  be  my  people."  Lev.  xxvi.  11,  12. 
"  And  I  v/ill  set  my  tabernacle  among  you,  and 
my  soul  shall  not  abhor  you ;  and  I  will  walk 
among  you,  and  I  will  be  your  God,  and  ye  shall 
be  my  people."  Ezekiel  xxxvii.  27.  "  My 
tabernacle  shall  also  be  with  them,  yea,  I  will  be 
their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people."  With 
these  Scriptures  before  us,  it  must  at  once  appear 
clear  to  every  mind,  that  the  spirituality  of  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  has  never  been  disan- 
nulled. 

Q,.  24.  Is  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  "  ichich 
was  confirmed  of  God  in  Christ,^'  the  covenant 
of  grace  ? 

A.  It  is.  Rom.  iv.  16.  "  Therefore  it  is  of 
faith,  that  it  might  be  by  grace ;  to  the  end  the 
promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the  seed  :  not  to 
that  only  which  is  of  the  law,  but  to  that  also 
which  is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham,  who  is  the 
father  of  us  all." 

Gal.  iii.  7,  8.  "  Know  ye  therefore,  that  they 
which  are  of  faith,  the  same  are  the  children  of 
Abraham.  And  the  Scripture,  foreseeing  that 
God  would  justify   the   heathen   through   faith, 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  13 

preached    before    the    gospel    unto    Abraham, 
saying,  In  thee  shall  all  nations  be  blessed." 

Rom.  XV.  8.  "  Now  I  say,  that  Jesus  Christ 
was  a  minister  of  the  circumcision  for  the  truth 
of  God,  to  confirm  the  promises  made  unto  the 
fathers." 

We  cannot  suppose  that  Christ  was  a  minister 
of  circumcision,  to  confirm  a  promise,  which 
circumcision  never  sealed.  The  Abrahamic 
covenant  was  the  first  covenant  that  circumcision 
ever  sealed;  and,  as  Christ  confirmed  it,  it  was 
therefore,  the  covenant  of  grace. 

Q.  25.  Had  God  a  Church  among  the  He- 
brews? 

A.  He  had.  Acts  vii.  57,  38.  ''  This  is  that 
Moses,  which  said  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  A 
prophet  shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up  unto 
you  of  your  brethren,  like  unto  me  ;  him  shall  ye 
hear.  This  is  he,  that  was  in  the  Church  in  the 
wilderness,  with  the  angel  which  spake  to  him  in 
the  Mount  Sinai,  and  v/ith  our  fathers :  who 
received  the  lively  oracles  to  give  unto  us." 

Q.  26.  Had  this  Church  an  existence  before 
Christ  came  into  the  world  ? 

A.  It  had :  for  it  is  said,  in  the  Scripture 
above  quoted,  that  Moses  teas  in  the  Church  in 
the  wilderness.  The  Church,  then,  had  an  exist- 
ence in  the  days  of  Moses  ;  and  Moses  lived  1600 
years  before  Christ's  advent. 

Q,.  27.  Was  this  the  gospel  Church,  or  has 
God  had  two  Churches  in  the  world  ] 


14  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

A.  It  was  the  gospel  Church  ;  for  we  cannot 
suppose,  that  God  would  be  so  changeable,  as  to 
have  diffe  ent  Churches,  at  different  periods. 
And  Paul  says,  Gal.  iii.  7,  8,  "  Know  ye  there- 
fore, that  they  which  are  of  faith,  the  same  are 
the  children  of  Abraham.  And  the  Scripture, 
foreseeing  that  God  would  justify  the  heathen 
through  faith,  preached  before  the  gospel  unto 
Abraham,  saying.  In  thee  shall  all  nations  be 
blessed."  Here  we  see,  that  it  was  not  only  the 
gospel  Church,  but  the  gospel  was  preached 
unto  Abraham,  about  1900  years  before  Christ. 

Q.  28.  Was  Christ  the  foundation  of  the 
Church,  to  which  the  pious  Hebrews  belonged? 

A.  He  was :  Isaiah  says,  chapter  xxviii.  16, 
"  Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  behold,  I 
lay  in  Zion,  for  a  foundation,  a  stone,  a  tried 
stone,  a  precious  corner  stone,  a  sure  foundation." 
And  Paul  says,  Eph.  ii.  19,  20,  "  Now,  therefore, 
ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners,  but 
fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  house- 
hold of  God  ;  and  are  built  upon  the  foundation 
of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self  being  the  chief  corner  stone." 

The  Apostle  Peter  says,  in  his  first  epistle, 
chap.  ii.  verse  6,  Wherefore  also  it  is  contained 
in  the  Scripture,  Behold,  I  lay  in  Sion  a 
chief  corner  stone,  elect,  precious ;  and  he 
that  believeth  on  him  shall  not  be  confounded." 
Here,  Isaiah  says,  "  A  foundation  is  laid  in  Sion;" 
Paul    says,     This    foundation     was    the     foun- 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  15 

dation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  and  that  this 
foundation  was  Christ."  And  Peter  says,  sub- 
stantially the  same. 

Q.  29.  Was  the  Church,  of  which  Christ  is 
the  chief  corner  stone,  founded  on  the  spirituality 
of  the  Abrahamic  covenant  ] 

A.  It  was.  (1.)  There  can  be  but  one  cove- 
nant of  grace,  and  we  have  already  proven,  that 
the  Abrahamic  covenant  is  the  covenant  of  grace. 

(2.)  There  cannot  be  a  true  spiritual  Church, 
abstract  from  the  covenant  of  grace;  and  as  God 
had  but  one  Church,  and  that,  too,  built  upon  the 
rock  Christ,  it  is  evident,  that  it  was  founded 
upon  the  spirituality  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant. 

Hear  what  Paul  says  on  this  subject,  in  Rom. 
iv.  11.  "  And  he  received  the  sign  of  circumci- 
sion, a  seal  of  the  righteousness  of  the  faith  which 
he  had,  yet  being  uncircumcised ;  that  he  might 
be  the  father  of  all  them  that  believe,  thouorh 
they  be  not  circumcised,  that  righteousness  might 
be  imputed  unto  them  also."  Hear,  then,  we 
find  in  the  Church  among  the  Hebrews,  an 
inward  spiritual  grace,  and  an  outward  visi- 
ble sign;  for  if  the  outward  sign  existed  with- 
out the  inward  grace,  it  would  have  been  a 
nominal  Church  only.  And  if  they  had  the 
inward  grace,  without  the  visible  sign,  it  could 
not  ha\x3  been  a  visible  Church.  But  when  the 
grace  is  implanted  in  the  soul,  it  will  produce  the 
visible  sign;  for  James  says,  chap.  ii.  18,  "Show 
me  thy  faith  without  thy  works,  and  I  will  show 


16  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

thee  my  faith  by  my  works."  And  again,  he  says, 
"  Faith  icitJwut  icorhs  is  dead^  Circumcision 
and  true  holiness,  is  wliat  God  required  of  Abra- 
ham in  the  organization  of  this  Church;  for  God 
first  taught  Abraham  true  hohness,  and  then 
commanded  him  to  be  circumcised,  and  told  him 
that  should  be  a  token  of  the  covenant  between 
them,  which  Paul,  in  Rom.  iv.  11,  proves  was  the 
"seal  of  the  righteousness  of  faith."  So  it  was  an 
outward  sign  of  the  inward  purification  of  his 
heart.  And,  in  Rom.  iv.  16.  Paul  says,  "  There- 
fore it  is  of  faith,  that  it  might  be  by  grace ;  to 
the  end  the  promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the  seed : 
not  to  that  only  which  is  of  the  law,  but  to  that 
also  which  is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham,  who  is  the 
father  of  us  all." 

Q.  30.  Did  God  require  holiness  of  heart  of 
the  members  of  the  Church  among  the  Hebrews, 
as  well  as  an  observance  of  the  outward  cere- 
monies 1 

He  did.  Gen.  xvii.  1.  "  I  am  the  Almighty 
God,  walk  before  me,  and  be  thou  perfect." 

Exodus  XX.  3,  4.  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other 
God's  before  me.  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto 
thee  any  graven  image,  or  any  likeness  of  any 
thing  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  that  is  in  the 
earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the 
earth." 

Deut.  X.  16.  "  Circumcise,  therefore,  the  fore- 
skin of  your  heart,  and  be  no  more  stiff-necked." 
And  verse  20:  "Thou  shalt  fear  the  Lord  thy 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  17 

G-od;  him  shalt  thou  serve,  and  to  him  shalt  thou 
cleave,  and  swear  by  his  name." 

Deut.  XXX.  6.  "  And  the  Lord  thy  God  will 
circumcise  thine  heart,  and  the  heart  of  thy  seed, 
to  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thine  heart, 
and  with  all  thy  soul,  that  thou  mayest  live." 

Mich.  vi.  8.  "  He  hath  show^ed  thee,  O  man, 
what  is  good  ;  and  what  doth  the  Lord  require 
of  thee,  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy,  and 
to  walk  hurnbly  with  thy  God  V 

Q.  3L  Was  Abraham  to  be  heir  of  the 
world  1 

A.  He  was.  Rom.  iv.  13.  "  For  the  promise 
that  he  should  be  the  heir  of  the  world  was  not 
to  Abraham,  or  to  his  seed,  through  the  lav/, 
but  through  the  righteousness  of  faith." 

Q.  32.     Why,  then,  was  the  law  added  ? 

A.  Because  of  transgression.  Gal.  iii.  19. 
"  Wherefore  then  serveth  the  law  1  It  was  added 
because  of  transgressions,  till  the  seed  should 
come  to  whom  the  promise  was  made  ;  and  it 
was  ordained  by  angels  in  the  hand  of  a  Mediator." 

Gal.  iii.  21.  "Is  the  law,  then,  against  the 
promise  of  God  1  God  forbid  :  for  if  there  had 
been  a  law  given  which  could  have  given  life, 
verily  righteousness  should  have  been  by  the 
law." 

Q.  33.  Was  the  gospel  preached  to  Abra- 
ham ? 

A.  It  was  :  Paul  says,  in  Gal.  iii.  8,  "  And 
the    Scripture  foreseeing  that  God  would  justify 


18  THE    SCRIPTURE   GUIDE 

the  heathen  through  faith,  preached  before  the 
gospel  unto  Abraham,  saying,  In  thee  shall 
all  nations  be  blessed."  John  viii.  56.  "  Your 
father  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  my  day  :  and  he 
saw  it,  and  was  glad." 

Q.  34.  Have  we  any  other  proof,  that  the  gos- 
pel was  preached  to  the  Church  among  the  Jews  ? 

A.  We  have,  in  1  Cor.  x.  1 — 4:  "Moreover, 
brethren,  I  would  not  that  ye  should  be  ignorant, 
how  that  all  our  fathers  were  under  the  cloud, 
and  all  passed  through  the  sea  ;  and  were  all 
baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea ; 
and  did  all  eat  the  same  spiritual  meat ;  and  did 
all  drink  the  same  spiritual  drink:  for  they 
drank  of  that  spiritual  Rock  that  followed  them : 
and  that  Rock  was  Christ." 

Heb.  iv.  2.  "  For  unto  us  was  the  gospel 
preached,  as  well  as  unto  them  :  but  the  v/ord 
preached  did  not  profit  them,  not  being  mixed 
with  faith  in  them  that  heard  it."  Heb.  xi.  13. 
••  These  all  died  in  faith,  not  having  received  the 
promises,  but  having  seen  them  afar  off,  and  were 
persuaded  of  them,  and  embraced  them,  and 
confessed  that  they  were  strangers  and  pilgrims 
on  the  earth." 

Q.  35.  Does  the  Abrahamic  covenant  con- 
tain any  engagement  on  God's  part  to  give  eternal 
life,  which  is  the  chief  blessing  under  the  gospel 
dispensation  ? 

A.  It  does,  Matthew  xxii.  31 — 33.  "But, 
as  touching  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  have  ye 


TO   INFANT    BAPTISM.  19 

not  read  that  which  was  spoken  unto  you  by  God, 
saying,  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God 
of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob"?  God  is  not 
the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living.  And 
when  the  multitude  heard  this,  they  were  aston- 
ished at  his  doctrine." 

Acts  xxiv.  14,-15.  "But  this  I  confess  unto 
thee,  that  after  the  way  which  they  call  heresy, 
so  worship  I  the  God  of  my  fathers,  believing  all 
things  which  are  written  in  the  law  and  in  the 
prophets;  and  have  hope  toward  God,  which 
they  themselves  also  allow,  that  there  shall  be  a 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just  and  of 
the  unjust." 

John  xii.  50.  "  And  I  know  that  his  command- 
ment is  life  everlasting  :  whatsoever  I  speak, 
therefore,  even  as  the  Father  said  unto  me,  so  I 
speak." 

Heb.  xi.  13—16.  "  These  all  died  in  faith, 
not  having  received  the  promises,  but  having  seen 
them  afar  off,  and  were  persuaded  of  them,  and 
embraced  them,  and  confessed  that  they  were 
strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth.  For  they 
that  say  such  things  declare  plainly  that  they  seek 
a  country.  And  truly,  if  they  had  been  mindful 
of  that  country  from  whence  they  came  out,  they 
might  have  had  opportunity  to  have  returned. 
But  now  they  desire  a  better  country,  that  is,  an 
heavenly :  wherefore  God  is  not  ashamed  to  be 
called  their  God :  for  he  hath  prepared  for  them 
a  city." 


20  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

Q.  36.  Did  the  Abrabamic  covenant,  or 
Church  among  the  Hebrews,  include  infarts  ? 

A.  It  did  ;  See  Gen.  xvii.  12,  13.  "  And  he 
that  is  eight  days  old  shall  be  circumcised  among 
you,  every  man  child  in  your  generations,  he  that 
is  born  in  the  house,  or  bought  with  money  of 
any  stranger,  which  is  not  of  thy  seed.  He  that  is 
born  in  thy  house,  and  he  that  is  bought  with  thy 
money,  must  needs  be  circumcised :  and  my 
covenant  shall  be  in  your  flesh  for  an  everlasting 
covenant." 

Q.  37.  How  were  males  of  both  Jews  and 
Gentiles,  recognized  as  members  of  the  Church  ] 

A.  By  the  circumcision  of  the  flesh.  Cir- 
cumcision was  the  ceremony  by  which  they  were 
recognized  as  members  of  the  Church,  and  ratified 
their  covenant  relationship  to  God  and  his 
Church,  It  also  bound  its  suljjects  to  an  obser- 
vance of  the  whole  law.  Paul  says,  "  For  I 
testify  again  to  every  man  that  is  circumcised, 
that  he  is  debtor  to  do  the  whole  law."    Gal.  v.  3. 

The  Jews  visible  relation  to  the  visible  Church 
was  ratified  by  visible  circumcision.  This  cir- 
cumcision did  not  bring  its  subjects  into  spiritual 
relation  to  God.  "  For  he  is  not  a  Jew,  which 
is  one  outwardly;  neither  is  that  circumcision, 
which  is  outward  in  the  flesh  :  but  he  is  a  Jew 
which  is  one  inwardly  ;  and  circumcision  is  that 
of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter; 
whose  praise  is  not  of  men,  but  of  God."  Rom., 
ii.  28,  29.     The  circumcision,  then,  of  the  flesh, 


TO    INFANT    EAPTISM.  21 

was  only  the  outward  "  sign,"  or  "  seal  of  the 
righteousness  of  faith,"  or  the  circumcision  of 
the  heart  in  the  spirit.  This  spiritual  circumci- 
sion, then,  initiates  its  subjects  into  a  spiritual 
relation  to  God. 

Deut.  X.  16.  "  Circumcise,  therefore,  the  fore- 
skin of  your  hearts,  and  be  no  more  stiff-necked." 
Deut.  XXX.  6.  "  And  the  Lord  thy  God=  will 
circumcise  thy  heart,  and  the  heart  of  thy  seed, 
to  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul."  The  same  may  be  said  of 
water  baptism,  and  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

Q.  38.     AVas  circumcision   a  religious  rite  ? 

A-.     It  was ;  for  the  following  reasons  : — 

(1.)  Because  it  was  not  peculiarly  a  national 
rite. 

(2.)  It  did  not  belong  to  the  ceremonial  law ;  for 
Abraham  was  circumcised  430  years  before  the 
law  was  given.  John  vii.  22.  "  Moses,  there- 
fore, gave  unto  you  circumcision,  (not  because  it 
is  of  Moses,  but  of  the  fathers.") 

(3.)  It  was  one  of  the  conditions,  or  passports, 
to  the  passover.  Exod.  xii.  43,  44,  "And  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses  and  Aaron,  This  is  the 
ordinance  of  the  passover  :  there  shall  no  stranger 
eat  thereof:  but  every  man's  servant  that  is 
bought  lor  money,  when  thou  hast  circumcised 
him,  then  shall  he  eat  thereof."  And,  in  the  28th 
verse,  "  And  when  a  stranger  shall  sojourn  with 
thee,    and  will  keep  the  passover  to   the   Lord, 


22  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

let  all  his  males  be  circumcised,  and  then  let  him 
come  near  and  keep  it ;  and  he  shall  be  as  one 
born  in  the  land  ;  for  no  uncircumcised  person 
shall  eat  thereof." 

This  last  text  holds  out  the  idea,  that  a  stranger 
might  dwell  among  the  Jews  without  being 
circumcised  ;  but  was  not  allowed  to  partake  of 
the  passover  until  he  was  circumcised.  If  we 
admit  that  the  paschal  lamb  prefigured  Christ, 
and  that  the  passover  was  a  religious  rite,  and 
that  no  stranger  was  allowed  to  partake  of  it, 
without  first  being  circumcised :  we  must  admit, 
that  circumcision  was  a  religious  rite. 

Under  the  Christian  dispensation,  we  have  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  in  room  of  the 
passover,  as  may  be  seen  by  consulting  1  Cor.  v. 
7,  8.  "  For  even  Christ  our  passover  is  sacri- 
ficed for  us  :  therefore,  let  us  keep  the  feast,"  &c. 
And  all  admit,  that  we  must  be  baptized,  before 
we  are  allowed  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Therefore,  if  we  put  the  bread  and  wine  in  the 
place  of  the  paschal  lamb,  we  must,  to  be  con- 
sistent, place  baptism  in  the  room  of  circum- 
cision ;  and,  consequently,  if  we  admit,  which  all 
admit,  that  baptism  is  a  religious  rite,  or  ordi- 
nance, we  must,  also,  of  necessity,  admit  circum- 
cision to  be  a  religious  rite.  We  will  let  St,  Paul 
decide  the  question,  Rom.  iv.  11.  "  And  he,*' 
(Abraham)  "received  the  sign  of  ciicumcision,  a 
seal  of  the  righteousness  of  the  faith  which  he 
had  yet  being  uncircumcised  :  that  he  might  be 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  23 

the  father  of  all  them  that  believe,  though  they 
be  not  circumcised,  that  righteousness  might  be 
imputed  unto  them  also." 

Q.  39.  Did  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  or 
Church  among  the  Hebrews,  include  infants,  not 
only  of  the  Jewish  nation,  but  also  of  other 
nations,  on  the  faith  of  their  parents  ? 

A.  It  did  :  Gen.  xvii.  12,  13,  "  And  he  that 
is  eight  days  old  shall  be  circumcised  among  you, 
every  man  child  in  your  generations,  he  that  is 
born  in  the  house,  or  bought  with  money  of  any 
stranger,  which  is  not  of  thy  seed.  He  that  is 
born  in  thy  house,  and  he  that  is  bought  with  thy 
money,  must  needs  be  circumcised :  and  my 
covenant  shall  be  in  your  flesh  for  an  everlasting 
covenant." 

•  Exodus  xii.  48,  49.  "  And  when  a  stranger 
shall  sojourn  with  thee,  and  will  keep  the  pass- 
over  unto  the  Lord,  let  all  his  males  be  circum- 
cised, and  then  let  him  come  near  and  keep  it ; 
and  he  shall  be  as  one  born  in  the  land :  for  no 
uncircumcised  person  shall  eat  thereof.  One  law 
shall  be  to  him  that  is  home-born,  and  unto  the 
stranger  that  sojourneth  with  you." 

Here  we  see  that  the  Church  includes  infants, 
and  that  strangers.  Gentiles  or  heathens,  were 
allowed  the  privilege  of  renouncing  their  idolatry, 
and  of  becoming  members  of  the  Church  among 
the  Jews.  But  they  could  not  enjoy  its  com- 
munion, or  passover,  until  they  acknowledged  the 
authority  of  God  by  circumcising  their  children. 


24  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

Q.  40.  Have  we  any  Scripture  evidence  that 
the  Church  was  the  same  under  the  Jewish  and 
Christian  dispensations  1 

A.  We  have:  Jer.  xi.  16,  "  The  Lord  called 
thy  name,  a  green  olive  tree,  fair,  and  of  goodly 
fruit:  with  the  noise  of  a  great  tumult  he  hath 
kindled  a  fire  upon  it,  and  the  branches  of  it  are 
broken." 

The  prophet  here  calls  the  Church,  a  green 
olive  tree,  and  says,  that  "  the  branches  were 
broken  off,"  and  Paul  tells  us  why  they  were 
broken  off:  "  Because  of  unbelief"  But  did 
this  breaking  off  of  some  of  the  branches  injure 
the  root,  or  invalidate  the  spirituality  of  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  1  We  will  let  Paul  answer 
this  question,  E-om.  xi.  17,  "  And  if  some  of 
the  branches  be  broken  off,  and  thou,  being  a  wild 
olive  tree,  wert  graffed  in  among  them,  and  with 
them  partakest  of  the  root  and  fatness  of  the 
olive  tree,"  &c.  Verse  24,  *'  For  if  thou  wert  cut 
out  of  the  olive  tree,  which  is  wild  by  nature,  and 
wert  graffed  contrary  to  nature,  into  a  good  olive 
tree,  how  much  more  shall  these,  which  be  the 
natural  branches,  be  grafled  into  their  own  olive 
treel" 

Is  not  this  proof,  as  strong  as  any  one  could 
desire "? 

Again  :  Gal.  iii.  29,  "  If  ye  be  Christ's,  then 
are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according  to 
the  promise."  Rom.  iv.  16.  "  Therefore  it  is 
of  faith,  that  it  might  be  by  grace;  to  the  end  the 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  25 

promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the  seed  :  not  to  that 
only  which  is  of  the  law,  but  to  that  also  which 
is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham,  who  is  the  father  of 
us  all." 

Again,  the  parable  of  the  husbandman  and 
vineyard,  is  also  proof  to  the  point.  Matt.  xxi. 
33,  34,  "  Hear  another  parable  ;  There  was  a 
certain  householder,  which  planted  a  vineyard, 
and  hedged  it  round  about,  and  digged  a  wine- 
press in  it,  and  built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to 
husbandmen,  and  went  into  a  far  country; 
and  when  the  time  of  the  fruit  drew  near, 
he  sent  his  servants  to  the  husbandmen,  that 
they  might  receive  the  fruits  of  it."  The 
householder  here  spoken  of,  is  God ;  the 
vineyard,  is  the  Church.  The  husbandmen  are 
the  Jews,  and  the  servants  the  prophets.  Verses 
35,  36,  **  And  the  husbandmen  [the  Jeivs,)  took 
his  servants,  [t/ie  prophets,)  and  beat  one,  and 
killed  another,  and  stoned  another.  And  again, 
he  sent  other  servants  more  than  the  first,  and 
they  did  unto  them  likewise."  Verse  37,  "But 
last  of  all,  he  sent  unto  them  his  son,  saying. 
They  will  reverence  my  son."  Verse  39,  "  And 
they  caught  him,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  vine- 
yard, and  slew  him." 

Now,  what  did  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard  say 
he  would  do,  when  he  beard  of  the  wicked  acts 
of  the  husbandmen,  fthe  Jews, J  to  whom  he  first 
let  the  vineyard  1  Did  he  say  he  would  break 
down  the  vineyard,  and  plant  a  new  one  ?     No. 


26  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

Verse  41.  They  say,  *'  He  will  miserably  destroy 
those  wicked  men,  (the  Jews  J  and  will  let  out 
his  vineyard  to  other  husbandmen,  which  shall 
render  him  the  fruits  in  their  season."  Verse  43, 
«*  Therefore,  say  I  unto  you,  (Jews)  the  kingdom 
of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a 
nation,  (the  believing  Gentiles,)  bringing  forth 
the  fruits  thereof."  Here  it  appears,  that  the 
kingdom  of  God,  which  the  Jews  once  possessed, 
and  in  which  the  ancient  prophets  once  exercised, 
their  ministry,  one  after  another,  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  Gentiles. 

Q.  41.  As  circumcision  was  the  token,  or 
seal,  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant ;  what  seal  have 
we,  under  the  gospel  dispensation,  in  place  of 
circumcision  1 

A.     Baptism. 

Q.  42.  When  a  positive  institute,  or  rite,  is 
connected  with  a  promise,  do  not  all  who  are 
embraced  in  that  promise,  have  a  right  to  the 
institute  1 

A.     They  do. 

Q.  43.  Who  were  included  in  the  promise 
made  to  Abraham  ? 

A.     Adults  and  infants. 

Q.  44.  Who,  then,  had  a  right  to  the  positive 
institute,  or  circumcision  1 

A.     Those  to  whom  the  promise  was  made. 

Q.  45.  Who,  then,  have  a  right  to  be  bap- 
tized ] 

A.     Those  to  whom  the  promise  is  made. 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  27 

Q.  46.  Who,  then,  are  included  in  the 
promise  ] 

A.  Peter  says,  in  Acts  ii.  39,  "  For  the 
promise  is  unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and 
to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord 
our  God  shall  call." 

And  again,  in  Acts  iii.  25,  he  says,  "  Ye  are 
the  children  of  the  prophets,  and  of  the  covenant 
which  God  made  with  our  fathers,  saying  unto 
Abraham,  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds 
of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

What  proof  can  be  more  direct  for  infant 
baptism  1  From  these  Scriptures,  the  conclusion 
is  plainly  this  :  That  infants,  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, stand  in  the  same  relation  to  baptism,  that 
they  did,  in  the  Old  Testament,  to  circumcision; 
consequently,  their  right  to  the  one,  must  be  the 
same  as  it  was  to  the  other. 

Q.  47.  If  infants  were  included  in  the  Abra- 
hamic  covenant,  or  covenant  of  grace,  and  are 
fit  subjects  to  receive  the  ordinance  of  baptism, 
why  was  there  not  an  express  command  to  bap- 
tize them  1 

A.  (1.)  It  was  unnecessary  to  give  such  a  com- 
mand, for  infants  were  always  included  in  that 
covenant.  Previous  to  the  death  of  Christ,  cir- 
cumcision was  the  seal,  or  outward  sign,  of  the 
covenant;  and  as  it  was  a  bloody  rite,  it  had  refer- 
ence to  their  faith  in  the  Messiah,  who  was  to 
come,  and  shed  his  blood  for  the  sin  of  the 
world. 


28  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

(2.)  It  was  unnecessary,  because  we  have  not 
in  the  Old  or  New  Testament,  "Thus  saith 
the  Lord,"  infants  shall  be  excluded  from  the 
Church. 

(3.)  It  was  unnecessary,  from  the  fact,  that  the 
early  Christians  were  fully  convinced  of  the 
identity  of  the  Church,  under  the  new  dispensa- 
tion, with  that  of  the  old  ;  consequently,  a  new 
warrant  for  the  inclusion  of  their  infant  seed,  in 
the  covenanted  family,  was  unnecessary. 

(4.)  In  the  next  place,  the  Apostles  understood 
Christ,  as  saying,  or  implying,  that  infants  should 
be  baptized  :  when  he  said  unto  them,  Matthew 
xxviii.  19,  "  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all 
nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  A 
nation  includes  men,  women,  and  children;  and, 
from  the  days  of  Abraham  to  Christ,  children 
were  objects  of  special  attention  in  their  instruc- 
tions, or  teachings  :  as  we  see  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. And  as  the  New  Testament  is  a  sup- 
plement to  the  Old,  and  as  teaching  of  the 
children  is  repeatedly  enjoined  in  the  New 
Testament,  they  were  certainly  not  mistaken. 
As  teaching  and  baptizing  were  united  in  the 
commission,  they  certainly  could  nut  have  under- 
stood Christ  as  meaning  any  thing  else  than  that 
they  should  baptize  as  well  as  teach  children. 

And  Peter  certainly  understood  the  command 
as  embracing  infants,  when,  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, the  Apostles  were   filled  with   the  Holy 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  29 

Ghost,  he  said  to  the  awakened  and  inquiring 
multitude,  "  Repent,  and  be  baptized,  every  one 
of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  For  the  promise  is  unto  you, 
and  to  your  children,"  &c.     Acts.  ii.  38,  39. 

Paul  certainly  understood  the  command,  as 
well  as  the  covenant,  to  include  infants,  as  did  also 
Peter,  and  all  the  other  Apostles.  Gal.  iii.  29, 
"If  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed, 
and  heirs  according  to  the  promise." 

Q.  48.  Did  the  Abrahamic  covenant  include 
infants  of  the  Gentiles  before  the  coming  of 
Christ,  as  well  as  infants  of  the  Jews  ? 

A.  It  did.  Exod.  xii.  48,  "  And  when  a 
stranger  shall  sojourn  with  thee,  and  will  keep 
the  passover  to  the  Lord,  let  all  his  males  be 
circumcised,  and  then  let  him  come  near  and 
keep  it;  and  he  shall  be  as  one  born  in  the 
land." 

Q.  49.  What  is  said,  in  the  New  Testament, 
to  the  Gentiles,  respecting  the  blessings  of  Abra- 
ham? 

A.  Romans  xi.  17.  "  And  if  some  of  the 
branches  be  broken  off,  and  thou,  being  a  wild 
olive  tree,  wert  graffed  in  among  them,  and  with 
them  partakest  of  the  root  and  fatness  of  the 
olive  tree,"  &c. 

Gal.  iii.  13,  14,  "  Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from 
the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us  : 
for  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth 


30  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

upon  a  tree :  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham  might 
come  on  the  Gentiles,  through  Jesus  Christ;  that 
we  might  receive  the  promise  of  the  Spirit, 
through  faith."  The  G-entiles  had,  under  the 
Jewish  dispensation,  been  allowed  the  privilege, 
not  only  of  uniting  with  the  Church,  but  also  of 
bringing  their  children  with  them.  And,  further, 
parents  were  not  allowed  to  participate  in  the 
ordinances  of  the  Church,  until  they  had  their 
children  recognized  as  members.  If  they  had 
been  denied  this  privilege,  by  the  Apostles,  they 
could  not  have  been  the  recipients  of  the  blessings 
of  Abraham.  The  Galatians,  certainly,  under- 
stood Paul,  when  he  said,  "  That  the  blessing  of 
Abraham  might  come  on  the  Gentiles,''  that  they 
were  allowed  the  privilege  of  having  their  chil- 
dren with  them  in  the  Church. 

Q.  50.  Are  there  any  texts  in  the  Old  or 
New  Testament,  disannulling  the  right  of 
infants  to  Church  membership  ] 

A.     There  are  none. 

Q.  51.  Are  there  any  passages,  in  the  New 
Testament,  favoring  the  Church  membership  of 
infants  ? 

A.  There  are  ;  Matt.  xix.  13—15  :  "  Then 
were  there  brought  unto  him  little  children,  that 
he  should  put  his  hands  on  them,  and  pray  :  and 
the  disciples  rebuked  them.  But  Jesus  said, 
Suffer  little  children,  and  forbid  them  not,  to  come 
unto  me:  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
And  he  laid  his  hand  on  them,  and  departed  thence.'' 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISx^I.  31 

Acts  ii.  39 ;  "  For  the  promise  is  unto  you, 
and  to  yoQr  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off, 
even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call." 

1  Cor.  vii.  14  ;  "  For  the  unbelieving  husband 
is  sanctified  by  the  wife,  and  the  unbelieving  wife 
is  sanctified  by  the  husband ;  else  were  your 
children  unclean;  but  now  are  they  holy."  Not 
positively,  or  personally  holy ;  but  holy  in  conse- 
quence of  the  believing  parent,  that  is,  having  a 
right,  thereby,  to  receive  the  ordinance  of  bap- 
tism, by  which  their  relation  to  the  Church  was 
recognized  or  sealed,  which  could  not  be  done, 
unless  one,  or  both  the  parents,  were  believers. 

Gentiles,  in  the  Scripture,  were  denominated 
common  or  unclean  ;  while  those  who  were  con- 
secrated to  God  were  called  holy.  Therefore, 
the  infant  of  the  believing  parent  was  called  holy, 
because  it  was  entitled  to  the  ordinance  of  bap- 
tism, by  which  its  Church  relation,  as  a  member 
in  a  state  of  minority,  was  recognized. 

This  was  assigned  as  a  reason,  why  the  believ- 
ing parent  should  not  leave  his,  or  her  unbelieving 
companion. 

Q,.  52.  Was  it  not  the  custom  of  the  Apostles 
to  receive  and  baptize  whole  families  on  the  faith 
of  the  head  of  the  household? 

A.  It  was;  Acts  xvi.  14,  15:  "And  a  certain 
woman,  named  Lydia,  a  seller  of  purple,  of  the 
city  of  Thyatira,  which  worshipped  God,  heard 
us :  whose  heart  the  Lord  opened,  that  she 
attended  unto  the  things  which  were  spoken    of 


32  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

Paul.  And  when  she  was  baptized,  and  hei 
household,  she  besought  us,  saying,  If  ye  have 
judged  me  to  be  faithful  to  the  Lord,  come  into 
my  house,  and  abide  there."  And  when  the 
Philippian  jailor  said,  (Acts  xvi.  30,)  "  Sirs, 
what  must  I  do  to  be  saved,"  Paul's  answer 
was,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved,  and  thy  house,"  or  family. 
Verse  33  ;  "  And  he  took  them,  the  same  hour 
of  the  night,  and  washed  their  stripes;  and  was 
baptized,  he  and  all  his,  straightway." 

And  Paul  says,  1  Cor.  i.  16,  "And  I  baptized 
also  the  house  of  Stephanas." 

It  is  not  certain,  but  very  probable,  that  there 
were  infants  in  some,  or  all  of  these  families. 
But  one  thing  is  certain,  the  grand  principle  of 
household,  or  family  baptism,  is  established  :  or 
the  principle  of  receiving  all  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  household  on  the  faith  of  their  parents. 

Q.  53.     Was  Christ  the  head  of  the  Church  ? 

A.     He  was. 

Q.  54.  If  infants  were  not  allowed  Church 
membership,  when  did  Christ  become  a  member 
of  his  own  Church] 

A.     Never. 

Q.  55.  If  the  following  facts  are  established, 
which  have  already  been  done  by  the  immutable 
word  of  God,  that  infants  were  included  in  the 
Abrahamic  covenant — that  all  the  families  of  the 
earth  were  to  be  blessed  in  him — and  that  the 
Church  was  founded  upon  the  spirituality  of  the 


TO   INFANT    BAPTISM.  33 

Abrahamic  covenant,  should  not  infants  now  be 
recognized  as  members  of  the  Church,  by  the 
administration  of  baptism  ? 

A.     They  should. 

Q,.  56.  Did  the  introduction  of  the  gospel,  or 
Christian  dispensation,  change  the  nature  of  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  ? 

A.     It  did  not. 

C).  57.  If  only  some  of  the  natural  branches 
of  the  tame  olive  tree,  or  Jewish  members,  were 
broken  off,  in  consequence  of  unbelief,  were  there 
not  infant  Church  members,  when  the  Gentiles 
were  grafFed  in,  among  the  natural  branches  ] 

A.     There  certainly  were. 

Q.  58.  What  are  we  to  understand  by  some 
of  the  branches  being  broken  off,  as  stated  by 
Paul,  in  Romans  xi.  17. 

A.  That  the  Church  was  purified,  and  its 
spirituality  restored. 

Q,.  59.  Did  the  bringnig  in  of  the  Gentiles 
constitute  a  new  Church  ? 

A.  It  did  not :  Paul,  in  writing  to  the  Ephe- 
sians,  who  were  Gentiles,  shows,  conclusively,  that 
by  Christ's  interposition,  the  Jews  and  Gentiles 
were  united  in  Church  privileges,  so  as  to  enjoy 
the  unity  of  the  Church  as  one.  Hear  what  he 
says,  in  Ephesians  ii.  14 ;  "  For  he  is  our  peace, 
who  hath  made  both  one,  and  hath  broken 
down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  between 
us."  And,  in  Col.  il.  14;  "Blotting  out  the  hand 
writing  of  ordinances  that  was  against  us,  which 


34  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

was  contrary  to  us,  and  took  it  out  of  the  way, 
nailing  it  to  his  cross." 

Q.  60.  But,  in  Daniel  ii.  44,  it  is  said,  "  In 
the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven 
set  up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never  be 
destroyed."  This  certainly  alludes  to  the  gospel 
dispensation,  and  looks  very  much  like  establish- 
ing a  new   Church  in  the  world. 

A.  By  "  setting  up  a  kingdom,"  we  are  not 
to  understand,  creating  a  new  kingdom,  but 
ESTABLISHING  one  already  in  existence.  In  Luke 
i.  32,  33,  it  is  said,  by  the  angel,  who  came  to 
announce  the  conception  of  Christ,  "  He  shall 
be  great,  and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the 
Highest,  and  the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him 
the  throne  of  his  father  David.  And  he  shall 
reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever."  Now, 
we  know,  that  the  throne,  or  kingdom  of  David, 
in  a  temporal  sense,  was  destroyed,  or  ceased  ; 
but  the  angel  says,  "  He  shall  have  the  throne  of 
Ms  father  Davids  It  must,  therefore,  be  under- 
stood, as  relating  to  a  spiritual  kingdom,  or  the 
Church.  See  Acts  xv.  15,  16.  "  And  to  this 
agree  the  words  of  the  prophets ;  as  it  is  written. 
After  this  I  will  return,  and  will  build  again  the 
tabernacle  of  David,  which  is  fallen  down  ;  and  I 
will  build  again  the  ruins  thereof,  and  I  will  set 
it  up."  This  quotation  is  made  by  the  Apostle 
James,  from  the  prophet  Amos  ix.  11.  Thus  we 
see,  how  perfectly  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and 
New   Testaments  harmonize  in  this  one  truth, 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  35 

that  the  Church  is  the  same  under  the  old  and 
new  dispensations;  its  blessings  equally  extend 
to  the  believer  and  his  offspring  under  the  new, 
as  under  the  old  dispensation. 

Q,.  61.  If  infants  were  denied  Church  mem- 
bership under  the  Christian  dispensation,  what 
would  the  Jews  say,  when  they  returned  to  be 
graffed  into  their  own  olive  tree,  from  which  the 
Gentiles  had  been  drawing  spiritual  nourishment? 

A.  They  would  say.  You  have  changed  the 
•*  covenant  made  with  Abraham,  which  covenant 
was  confirmed  of  God  in  Christ." 

Q,.  62.  Have  we  any  positive  command,  in 
the  New  Testament,  for  females  partaking  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  1 

A.     We  have  not. 

Q,.  63.  How,  then,  do  our  Baptist  brethren, 
as  well  as  those  of  other  denominations,  prove, 
that  females  have  a  right  to  partake  of  the  Sacra- 
ment ] 

A.  By  reference  to  the  Old  Testament, 
especially  to  those  passages  which  relate  to 
females  partaking  of  the  paschal  lamb,  and  then 
putting  the  Sacrament  in  the  place  of  the  pass- 
over,  and  connecting  therewith,  the  presumptive 
evidence  of  the  New  Testament. 

Q,.  64.  Are  we  not  justifiable,  then,  in  pursu- 
ing the  same  course,  to  prove  the  Church  mem- 
bership of  infants,  and  of  placing  baptism  in  the 
room  of  circumcision,  and  also  of  proving  that 
sprinkling  is  the  Scripture  baptism  1 


36  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

A.     We  are. 

Q.  65.  If  infant  baptism  was  not  taught,  or 
practiced  by  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  did  not  the 
Church  fall  into  an  egregious  error,  and  that,  too, 
at  a  very  early  period  ? 

A.     She  did. 

Q,.  66.  What  does  Dr.  Wall  say,  on  this 
subject,  in  his  History  of  Baptism  1 

A.  He  says  :  "  For  the  first  400  years  after 
Christ,  there  appears  only  one  man,  TertuUian, 
who  advises  the  delay  of  infant  baptism  in  some 
cases,  and  one  Gregory,  who  did,  perhaps,  prac- 
tice such  delay,  in  the  case  of  his  own  children  ; 
but  no  society,  of  men  so  thinking,  or  so  practic- 
ing, nor  any  individual,  say,  it  was  unlawful  to 
baptize  infants.  So,  in  the  next  700  years,  there 
is  not  so  much  as  one  man  to  be  found,  who 
either  spoke  for,  or  practiced  such  delay;  but  all 
to  the  contrary.  And  when  about  the  year  1130, 
one  sect  among  the  Waldenses,  or  Albigences, 
declared  against  the  baptism  of  infants,  as 
incapable  of  salvation,  the  main  body  of  the 
people  rejected  their  opinion;  and  they  who  held 
that  opinion  quickly  dwindled  away,  and  disap- 
peared ;  there  being  nothing  more  heard  of  any 
holding  that  tenet,  until  the  rising  of  the  German 
Anabaptists,  in  the  year  1522." 

Q.  67.  What  does  Dr.  Miller  say,  on  the 
same  subject  ? 

A.  Dr.  Miller  says  ;  "  For  1500  years  after 
Christ,  the  practice  of  infant  baptism  was  univer- 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  37 

sal.  That,  from  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  to  the 
time  of  Luther,  the  general,  unopposed,  estab- 
lished practice  of  the  Church  was,  to  regard  the 
infant  seed  of  believers  as  members  of  the  Church, 
and,  as  such,  to  baptize  them." 

Q.  68.  The  Baptists  say,  the  baptism  of 
infants  is  an  innovation,  and  one  of  the  corrup- 
tions of  Popery.  Can  they  point  out,  in  history, 
when  this  corrupt  practice,  as  they  call  it^  was 
introduced  into  the  Church  ] 

A.  They  cannot.  Mr.  Robinson,  one  of  their 
most  learned,  and  far-famed  writers  of  the  history 
of  baptism,  says :  "  It  is  impossible  to  say  any 
thing  certain,  by  what  means,  or  at  what  moment^ 
infant  baptism  found  its  way  into  the  CatholiG 
Churchr 

This  would  be  a  strange  phenomena,  if  true^ 
that  an  error  of  such  magnitude,  as  Baptists  hold 
the  baptism  of  infants  to  be,  should  find  its  way 
into  the  Church,  and  become  a  universal  practice, 
and  not  the  least  trace  of  its  introduction  to  be 
found. 

Q.  69.  Does  not  history  show  when  the 
Arian  heresy  commenced,  also  the  Pelagian 
HERESY  ;  and  when  image  worship  was  intro- 
duced into  the  Church,  and  a  great  many  con- 
troversies on  minor  points  in  Theology  ? 

A.     It  does. 

Q.  70.  Is  it  reasonable,  then,  to  suppose,  that 
tlie  baptizing  of  infants  could  have  been  intro- 
duced into  the    Church  subsequent  to   the  days 


38  THE    SCRIPTURE    GUIDE 

of  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  and  have  become  a 
universal  practice,  w^ithout  some  opposition,  or 
controversy,  to  indicate  the  time  of  its  introduc- 
tion? 

A.     It  is  not  reasonable. 

Q.  71.  What  is  the  testimony  of  the  early 
Christian  fathers  upon  this  subject  ] 

A,  Ireneus,  who  wrote  about  fifty  years  after 
the  Apostles,  and  was  a  disciple  of  Poly  carp, 
one  of  John's  disciples,  and  also  saw  and  con- 
versed with  those,  who  had  seen  our  Lord  in  the 
flesh,  mentions  "  the  baptism  of  infants,  as  no 
matter  of  dispute  in  his  day^ 

Justin  Martyr,  who  was  born  about  thirty 
years  after  the  death  of  Christ,  speaks  of  baptism 
being  to  us  in  the  room  of  circumcision. 

Origen,  a  Greek  father,  of  the  third  century, 
and  decidedly  the  most  learned  man  in  his  day, 
says  :  "  According  to  the  usage  of  the  Church, 
baptism  is  given  even  to  infants."  Again,  he  says : 
*'  For  this  cause  it  was,  that  the  Church  received 
an  order  from  the  Apostles,  to  give  baptism  even 
to  infants." 

Cyprian,  a  Latin  father,  of  the  third  century, 
and  contemporary  with  Origen,  in  council,  with 
sixty-six  Bishops,  held  at  Carthage,  in  253, 
decided  that  infants  might  be  baptized  at  any 
time,  without  waiting  till  they  were  eight  days 
old,  as  in  the  case  of  circumcision.  They  did 
not  decide  that  infants  should  be  baptized.  This 
no  man  denied,  it  being  the  universal  custom  of 


TO    INFANT    BAPTISM.  39 

the  Church  at  this  early  period.  The  only  ques- 
tion was,  whether  their  baptism  must  be  deferred 
till  they  were  eight  days  old,  or  whether  it  might 
be  administered  earlier. 

Pelagius,  who  lived  a  little  more  than  three 
hundred  years  after  the  Apostles,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  learned  men  of  his  day,  having 
travelled  over  nearly  every  part  of  the  Christian 
world,  thouo;^h  a  heretic  in  reg^ard  to  human 
depravity,  says  :  "  I  never  heard  of  any,  not  even 
the  most  impious  heretic,  who  denied  baptism  to 
infants^ 

Augustin,  the  learned,  talented,  and  venerable 
opposer  of  the  Pelagian  heresy,  who  lived  at  the 
same  time  with  Pelagius,  in  his  controversy  with 
them,  says  :  "  Since  they  grant  that  infants  must 
he  baptized,  as  not  being  able  to  resist  the 
authority  of  the  whole  Church,  which  was  doubt- 
less delivered  by  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles.''^ 


